


How Do You Spell "Future"?

by hoddypeak



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Love Confessions, S03e08, Takes place immediately after Anne's realisation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 17:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21396079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoddypeak/pseuds/hoddypeak
Summary: Anne runs after Gilbert.Takes place immediately after the ending of S03E08.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 11
Kudos: 309





	How Do You Spell "Future"?

**Author's Note:**

> on tumblr people are counting on that pen to save Shirbert, so I wanted to use that idea for this fic. I don't know who came up with that idea, so I can't credit them unfortuately!

That moment of peace within her mind had come sooner than Anne had anticipated, and after that her mind was everything but peaceful. In that moment she had finally realised that she undeniably and unmistakably loved Gilbert. 

Totally forgetting Diana had been next to her, she had rushed out of her room and saddled Moonlight as fast as she could, feeling like every passing second Gilbert was drifting further away from her. 

She had gone to the Blythe and Lacroix house. Bash had opened the door and told her that Gilbert was already on his way to catch the train to Charlottetown. At the speed of light Anne had climbed back on Moonlight and was now galloping towards the station, her heart about to break through her ribcage. 

She couldn’t think about anything else other than _I need to tell Gilbert before it’s too late_. She didn’t know what she expected to come out of her confession, but she knew she would never have another peaceful moment in her mind if she didn’t do it. 

After what felt like an eternity, she finally arrived at the train station and she hastily tied Moonlight onto some pillar that just happened to be next to her when she got off the saddle. Then she ran. The train was already there, and people were getting onto it, meaning it would be only moments until it departed. 

“Gilbert!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping it would catch his attention in case he was still outside. “Gilbert!”

People cast her curious looks, and some men turned around upon recognising their name but soon came to realise they weren’t the ones being called for. 

“Anne?” her Gilbert’s voice sounded somewhere behind her, loud but questioning.

She stopped dead in her tracks, spun around and saw him get off the train, his confused stare fixed upon her. He was wearing his best attire for special occasions, and Anne’s breath got caught in her throat. Was he really going to propose to Winifred this soon?

“Gilbert,” she said breathlessly once they stood in front of each other. “The other night when you came to talk to me.”

Gilbert nodded with furrowed eyebrows.

“I was taken aback, intoxicated, and nothing in my head made sense. I truly felt like a pirate on the sea without her own ship. I know the Sorbonne is your dream and your future is in Paris, and I would never want to stand in the way of your dreams, and Winifred is a wonderful and lucky gal to have you and I’m sure you will be happy, but–“ she paused and took a deep breath. Her entire being was shaking. “I just wanted to tell you that my answer would’ve been yes, because I–“ her voice didn’t want to come out, but she forced it to; “Because I love you, Gilbert. But I can’t give you the life you want, your dream isn’t to be a country doctor, and you above everyone else deserves to be happy and be able to fulfil your dreams. Which is why I wish you all the happiness in Paris.”

Anne exhaled as though she had been holding her breath for hours. Gilbert’s expression was painful to look at and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking of. It was like he was confused, sad, panicking and full of questions all at the same time. 

Anne couldn’t stand it any longer. Gilbert’s silence was tearing her apart, and she didn’t think there was enough courage in her to hear what his response would be. She turned around and disappeared in the sea of people. She had given him the freedom to follow his dreams. She loved him and she didn’t want to be the one to tie Gilbert down in Avonlea where he would never have the future he wanted. 

A tear rolled down her cheek as she untied Moonlight from the wooden pillar and left the train station and Gilbert behind.

Anne wasn’t in her best mood the following day. She had spent most of the time laying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling and emptying her mind. Sometimes she shamefully wiped a single tear that had the audacity to escape from the corner of her eye. 

She was relieved she had confessed, and she knew she had made the right decision to push him away the moment her confession came out. She wasn’t sure if she had done it mostly because she wanted Gilbert to be happy, or if she had done it because she wanted to shield herself from the very likely rejection. He had given her a chance, so she didn’t believe Gilbert was generous enough to grant her another.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. She quickly sat up and ran her hand across both her cheeks in case there were some tears she hadn’t noticed. She put on her best attempt at a happy smile as the door opened and Marilla stepped in.

“There’s somebody that would like to see you,” she said.

Anne thought her visitor was waiting on her downstairs, so she stood up. When the visitor appeared behind Marilla, she got frozen on the spot.

“Gilbert,” she said in a faint whisper, still not believing her eyes.

Marilla got out of the way to let Gilbert walk into Anne’s room and she closed the door after her. 

“Aren’t– aren’t you supposed to be in Charlottetown?”

Gilbert shook his head gently and smiled a little.

“I was there.”

“So you did propose to Winifred?” 

“I didn’t. And I won’t.”

“What? I don’t understand, she…she was the key to your dreams, what made you change your mind?”

Gilbert put his hand in his pocket and took out a pen. Anne stared down at it, and after a couple seconds, a thought occurred to her. 

“Is that my pen?” she asked 

“It is,” he replied and had a short pause before he continued; “I got back on the train, thinking I would do as you said and follow my dreams, but then I felt this in my pocket. I rolled it around my fingers, thinking about you and what I was getting myself into. I realised that my dream isn’t in the Sorbonne. My dream is wherever you are, Anne.”

Anne held her breath, eyes wide. “You’re giving up everything for me?”

“No, Anne, I’m not giving up anything. If I can spend my life beside somebody I love with all my being, I think that’s better than anything else life can offer me.”

“So you…”

“I love you, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, with everything I have, and I always will.”

Anne couldn’t believe her ears. The corners of her mouth began to curl up once her mind began to register what this meant for them.

“Oh, Gilbert,” she said with so much love in her voice she didn’t know she could sound that soft.

She took a few quick steps towards him and placed her hands on both sides of his head, pulling him closer to her and pressing her lips against his. There was a sound of the pen being dropped to the floor, and at the same time Gilbert placed his hands on Anne’s waist and answered the kiss just as enthusiastically. 

When they parted, they just stared at each other and laughed in relief. In that moment, nothing else around them existed and it was just them. Anne was in a state of euphoria.

“I love you,” Anne said.

“I love you, too,” Gilbert replied. Hearing it again made Anne’s chest swell.

Gilbert took his hands away from her waist and bent down to take the pen he had dropped. He looked at it and then at Anne, smiling at her fondly.

“Now, how would you feel about a – how do you spell it?” he lifted the pen in the air and pretended to be thinking hard. He then wrote the letters in the air as he said them: “F-U-T-U-R-E with me?”

Anne giggled. She intertwined her hand with Gilbert’s as she replied; “There’s nothing I want more than that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!  
Any sort of feedback is more than welcome :)
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr if you wish - frosinn.tumblr  
I post daily about AWAE <3


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